Ezekiel 34:18... and so, these are the rants and raves of the wild-eyed pastor Michael Haggard on Religion, Politics, Culture and a whole lot more. Trying to filter the waters that have been muddied for too long. Plug in a brain and let's think a few things out.

Sunday, April 08, 2007

My birthday was observed recently. I am not a big fan of my birthday. Not that I am aging... more that I don't like the attention. So I celebrated by going to the big city of Kaohsiung alone for the day and hanging out in my favorite places (Sandy was at work). That is how I am with most holidays. Leave me alone and I am happy.

Not so this day.

I don't know what day it was that I realized that the whole story of Jesus was real and that I would have to deal with him on his terms... but I know the day that I died to myself and let him take over. It was Resurrection Sunday. His day. The day that he came out of that tomb and showed that he was just exactly who he said that he was. That anniverary is also the day that I came up out of the tomb of my life and started walking in the new life of his love.

It is especially a great day for me today, because one of the Hakka men that Sandy and I helped lead to the Lord has now become a bold teller of Jesus' love. Now Mr. R. is telling everyone who cares to hear about Jesus. He is telling people who don't care to hear about Jesus. He is telling people today that this is the Lord's Day of Resurrection, that Jesus is alive and has power over death and the Grave.

This week was tomb sweeping week for Taiwan. This was the week that people got off of work to go and clean the tombs of their ancestors, to worship their spirits, burn spirit money, and remind each other how scared they are of death and of dead spirits. They clean tombs and burn money and worship in this manner out of respect, sure... but mostly out of fear that dead ancestors will bring them bad luck and haunting if they are not worshiped.

Mr.R. is telling people what Jesus showed him... that there is power over death. That life comes from losing your own. We can let the dead bury the dead as we are walking around with new life in Jesus.

This is a great day.

So today, unlike my other enforced holidays, I will celebrate this day! Sandy and I will spend the morning with our Hakka friends at church, and then we will spend our afternoon with the English speaking Church in Pingtung. We will all talk about how Jesus has changed us and we will show that He has made us into something different. We will not be resurrected when we die... we were resurrected on the day we believe. Our body will die someday. Our spirits have already been renewed and they will received new bodies on that day.

What a day!

Photos of The Pingtung English Language Fellowship at dinner in Meinong:

Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to the Lord. Do not greive, for the Joy of the Lord is your strength! Nehemiah 8:10

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About Me

I am a pastor in South East Kansas. I was a missionary living in Taiwan for 12 years. Before that, I was a pastor in the USA for 22 years, a Firefighter (instructor evaluator) EMT for nearly 10 years, and a Railroad conductor for 2 years. As I still collect toys, watch and read SciFi, and build models I gather that I just don't know what I want to do when I grow up. I KNOW that God is faithful even when I am not. Don't base the value of the message on the worth of the messenger... you would end up missing the most important news you have ever heard.